The Blood Crown - Chapter 172

With the fall of Xie Zhongren, his entire faction was dragged into the abyss, much like the way Yan Zilian’s death once plunged his entire party into ruin.

The investigation into Xie Zhongren was ongoing, but the purge of the eunuchs had already spread throughout the capital and the provinces. The aristocracy, who had been oppressed and persecuted for three years, launched a counterattack, submitting memorials of impeachment and remonstrance every day like a flurry of snowflakes. The pile of documents in the Wenyuan Pavilion grew into a wall, and the documents awaiting the Emperor’s review were countless.

Emperor Zhao Wu could not handle state affairs without the supervision of the eunuchs in the Ministry of Rites. He intended to summon Yu Ji, but Yu Ji was illiterate, making it difficult to find a suitable candidate. Thus, he called upon the Crown Prince Chen Chun, who had already started participating in state affairs, to help share the burden. This allowed the Emperor to take a breath from the overwhelming workload.

Although this was against the law, no one had the heart to care about such details at the moment. The court was on the brink of chaos, with eunuchs and aristocrats attacking each other as if the situation had reverted to three years ago overnight.

Meng Duo knew that the court could not afford internal turmoil amid external threats. After discussing with several senior officials, he proposed to Emperor Zhao Wu that only the main culprits should be punished severely while the many officials who were coerced into compliance should be spared for now. This approach was aimed at prioritizing the overall situation, gaining public support, and having leverage over these officials in the future, ensuring that they would not lose control of the power.

Power is such a thing: if it is not in your hands, it is in mine. Even if it is just holding on to a small piece, one will desperately try to grasp more. Once firmly grasped, it is hard to let go, even to death.

For Emperor Zhao Wu, who had been lazy in governance for decades, this was enough of a torment. Hearing that these officials proposed a measured approach, he was naturally pleased and agreed, praising them for their understanding of the greater good.

With the coerced officials spared, the main culprits were to be severely punished. The Dali Temple had apprehended twenty-nine key members of the eunuch faction, twelve in the capital and seventeen in the provinces. If their crimes were confirmed, they would all face the death penalty according to the law, and Xie Zhongren was also guilty of crimes warranting the death penalty and the destruction of his family.

Thanks to the evidence provided by Yan Sikong, the Three Judicial Divisions swiftly processed the cases and imprisoned a large number of eunuchs.

However, Yan Sikong was not satisfied with the outcome of the Guangning case. Firstly, the case was old, and Han Zhaoxing had not been brought to trial, making it impossible to question him. Although Zhao Fu-yi had clarified the situation to Emperor Zhao Wu according to Yan Sikong’s instructions, Zhao Fu-yi had not witnessed the events himself and could not serve as evidence. Furthermore, the confession letter forced from Ge Zhong before his death was something Yan Sikong dared not present. If he revealed the confession letter now, he would not be able to explain its origins and would instead expose his excessive focus on the Guangning case. Anyone investigating could uncover his identity and his deep-seated involvement.

Therefore, he could only hold onto it for now. When he truly held substantial power, he would ensure that the world knew who had defended Guangning and Liaodong all those years ago.

Despite the chaos in the court, good news came from the border. General Zhao Fu-yi had repelled Tuo Letai, securing a preliminary victory. Although it was only a temporary retreat, it was the only positive news from Liaodong in recent years.

At this time, the eunuch faction was nearly finished. However, due to the severity and wide scope of their crimes, the Three Judicial Divisions needed to work day and night to process all the cases, which could take at least a year or two. Emperor Zhao Wu could finally take a break and started to worry about Feng Ye.

Feng Ye, at this point, had advanced his army from Huguang into the northwest. He was marching mainly within Qianzhou, an area with treacherous terrain and impoverished land. The region had little defensive capability, and with Feng Ye’s rising power, it was only a matter of time before he reached the Hetao region.

The court was not worried about him capturing Hetao. Originally, Hetao had been recovered only after the defeat of the Wala. The area was inhabited by both barbarians and Han Chinese, with frequent unrest. The ordinary people could not survive, let alone cultivate the land. Hetao had far less significance to the court than it had decades ago. Even if Feng Ye captured Hetao, it would only provide him with good horses, which was not a major concern. What was truly alarming was that Hetao bordered Datong, and the Datong army had once been Feng Jianping’s old troops. If Feng Ye could persuade or induce defection from the Datong army, he would truly possess the power to overturn a dynasty.

With the problem in Liaodong temporarily eased and the eunuch cases needing more time, Emperor Zhao Wu naturally began to worry about the Wang Lang rebellion.

Zhao Fu-yi had secretly recommended Yan Sikong as an envoy to negotiate with Feng Ye. Zhu Lanting, who had been promoted to Commander of the Guard, also repeatedly petitioned. Additionally, Princess Wan Yang had been running to the palace daily, pleading with Emperor Zhao Wu to release Yan Sikong. Although Emperor Zhao Wu had held a grudge against Yan Sikong due to the Xie Zhongren case, he was reluctantly swayed by the sight of Wan Yang’s increasingly prominent belly and summoned Meng Duo to discuss how to handle Yan Sikong.

Meng Duo had just petitioned Emperor Zhao Wu to pardon a group of Xie Zhongren’s coerced accomplices. Since Yan Sikong’s crimes did not warrant the death penalty, he naturally supported the idea of reducing his position and salary or relegating him to a lower position for a few years.

Emperor Zhao Wu proposed demoting Yan Sikong from the third-rank position of Deputy Minister of the Ministry of War to the seventh-rank position of Inspecting Censor, sending him to Hetao to persuade Feng Ye to surrender.

Meng Duo, not aware of the implications, saw no issue and thus the matter was settled, just as Yan Sikong had planned.

After being imprisoned for over a month, Yan Sikong received his sentence. For what he considered a minor price, he was allowed to return home. Thanks to Meng Duo’s care, aside from the ten lashes, he had suffered little in prison, though he had lost a lot of weight from worry and sleepless nights.

Despite the numerous dangers, he had no certainty, living in constant fear that everything might collapse overnight. But in the end, he prevailed. Xie Zhongren was waiting for his trial in prison, and Yan Sikong had avenged his deep-seated grudge, removing the poison that had plagued the Great Sheng for thirty years!

He finally felt he had fulfilled his duty to his biological parents, adoptive father, and foster brother, and honored his teacher who died in bitterness. He could now shed the burden he had carried for half his life and pursue what he truly desired.

He was about to meet Feng Ye, after three long years. He would use the second half of his life to achieve the ambitious goals he had once set with Feng Ye in their youth!

A/N: Next week, everyone will finally meet Feng Ye! Just like Yan Sikong, we’ve all been waiting a long time! But remember, tomorrow is a routine rest day, as usual~~ (End of Chapter)